Questions
1. What was Sinclair’s intention in writing The Jungle? How was the impact different than he anticipated? "he had intended it less of an exposé of the meat industry than as an argument for socialism," (pg vi of introduction). Sinclair did not write The Jungle to be looked at as a criticism of meat industry, he wanted it to be a reason why people should convert and listen to socialism and what it can provide for the working class. Sinclair describes this different impact as being a result of him “aiming at the public’s heart, and by accident hitting it in the stomach,” (pg vi of introduction).
Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to inform the world of the plight of the working class in Chicago. Sinclair hoped to bring about reform, through Socialism, of the processes that made people’s lives miserable, but instead people paid more attention to what was going into their meat.
2. Why is this called a “protest novel” in the Introduction?
It is called a protest novel because the first two thirds of the book are just about the horrible working and living conditions in Chicago in the early 1900’s. "The Jungle is a protest novel, an exposure of intolderable working and living conditions in the city of Chicago at the turn of the century," (pg ix).Sinclair uses his ability to tell stories to portray his ideas of socialism and the "intolerable" conditions in Chicago.
3. What impact did the book have when it was released? Meat inspection act in 1906 along with the Pure Food and Drug Act also in 1906. it showed the united states what was actually happening in the Working class society.
4. What criticisms does the Introduction writer offer of the book? Be specific! -One problem with the book is that Sinclair “stacks the deck.” It isn’t just one or two things that go back for Jurgis, everything goes bad. Another problem is that the characters are somewhat flat and lack dimension. -When Jurgis starts to follow socialsism, everything in his life starts to go right as if he is "living in a different universe," (pg xii). -Sinclair's characters do not "surprise us" and do not do things unexpected of them, they seem to follow a strict outline. -The characters are never rich in the experience and detail that Sinclair wanted to protray in his pro-socialist writings. -Sinclair is too visible directing what the characters do, as if he is a puppeteer of Jurgis, who represents Sinclair's thoughts, and these connections are too obvious and oppress the reader. -the only feeling Sinclair asks of the reader is pity and this is "one of the most dehumanizing of all emotions," (pg xii). -The Jungle only taps on a narrow range of emotions
5. What was the ultimate importance of the book? What is its message?
The message of the book is that life in big cities at that time was horrible. There was competition among everyone, and a constant sense of fear about employment. Big companies would use people until there was nothing left and then throw them into the streets. Sinclair wanted to bring to the light these hardships and a solution: socialism.
6. ID the following: Mike Scully, Bubbly Creek, Packingtown, Dr. Schliemann, Tommy Hinds, Madame
Haupt, Jack Duane: Mike Scully: a political boss Jurgis did work for… when the strikes hit he tells Jurgis to become a scab, because he can make a lot of money that wayPackingtown: nickname for the area of Chicago’s meatpacking industry Dr. Schliemann: Swedish socialist Jurgis hears speak in the last chapter.
Jack Duane- cellmate of Jurgis during his jail time.
7. Why did Jurgis and Ona come to America? “It was Jonas who suggested that they all go to America, where a friend of his had gotten rich. He would work, for his part, and the women would work, and some of the children, doubtless--they would live somehow. Jurgis, too, had heard of America. That was a country where, they said, a man might earn three rubles a day; and Jurgis figured what three rubles a day would mean, with prices as they were where he lived, and decided forthwith that he would go to America and marry, and be a rich man in the bargain. In that country, rich or poor, a man was free, it was said; he did not have to go into the army, he did not have to pay out his money to rascally officials-- he might do as he pleased, and count himself as good as any other man. So America was a place of which lovers and young people dreamed. If one could only manage to get the price of a passage, he could count his troubles at an end (22). So they came for opportunity (and were a bit naïve about what they were getting into) because they had nothing in Lithuania.
8. In what ways does Sinclair take capitalism to task in the process of Jurgis “buying” a house? Sinclair takes capitalism to task in the process of Jurgis "buying" a house because it shows how competitive capitalism is and how there are always hidden clauses. For example, when Jurgis is trying to "buy" the house it turns out that they will not be able to own the house until after the payment is finished in 9 years. They are even warned that buying a house will actually hurt them more then if they continue to rent because there are a bunch of hidden fees which they are not told about until they "purchase" the house.
9. How does Jurgis end up in jail? How does Sinclair compare the factory where Jurgis works with the cellwhere he spends time? How long does he stay in jail? Why is he blacklisted? The first time he ends up in jail isn’t covered in these chapters. Jurgis winds up in jail the 2nd time for beating up Phil Connor in chapter 26. He is only there overnight before getting released on bail. Why he’s blacklisted might be addressed elsewhere, but in chapter 20 it says:
"Out in the saloons the men could tell him all about the meaning of it; they gazed at him with pitying eyes--poor devil, he was blacklisted! What had he done? they asked--knocked down his boss? Good heavens, then he might have known! Why, he stood as much chance of getting a job in Packingtown as of being chosen mayor of Chicago. Why had he wasted his time hunting? They had him on a secret list in every office, big and little, in the place. They had his name by this time in St. Louis and New York, in Omaha and Boston, in Kansas City and St. Joseph. He was condemned and sentenced, without trial and without appeal; he could never work for the packers again--he could not even clean cattle pens or drive a truck in any place where they controlled. He might try it, if he chose, as hundreds had tried it, and found out for themselves. He would never be told anything about it; he would never get any more satisfaction than he had gotten just now; but he would always find when the time came that he was not needed. It would not do for him to give any other name, either--they had company "spotters" for just that purpose, and he wouldn't keep a job in Packingtown three days. It was worth a fortune to the packers to keep their blacklist effective, as a warning to the men and a means of keeping down union agitation and political discontent." (195-196).
Here it seems like he has no idea why he is blacklisted .
Jurgis ends up in jail because he hit his boss. Jurgis is sentenced to thirty days in jail.
10. How is Jurgis injured on the job? What happens to him? Where does he work after that? Describe the
conditions.
Jurgis hurts his ankle while on the job because he was jumping out of the way of a loose animal running around. Jurgis cannot work and is confined to bed because his ankle is so swollen.
11. What causes Jurgis to begin his life of wandering? What jobs does he have after returning from his
wanderings? List them in order. Jurgis begins his life of wandering after his son, Antanas, drowned outside their house when Jurgis was not home. In 20 he does odd jobs and works at the harvester manufacturing plant. In 26 he’s back at a meatpacking place. In 31 he’s a hotel porter.
After Jurgis finishes his life of wanderings, he gets a job underground putting up phone wires.
12. Why is Jurgis sometimes referred to as “Jack?” In what ways does he suffer dehumanization? How
does the socialist meeting help him to rediscover himself? First and second question not answered, but the 3rd:The Socialist meeting gives him something to believe in.
13 Why did Schliemann consider himself a “philosopher anarchist?” What was The Appeal? What
important realization did Jurgis have as a result of his contact with socialism? From chapter 31:
"Schliemann called himself a "philosophic anarchist"; and he explained that an anarchist was one who believed that the end of human existence was the free development of every personality, unrestricted by laws save those of its own being. Since the same kind of match would light every one's fire and the same-shaped loaf of bread would fill every one's stomach, it would be perfectly feasible to submit industry to the control of a majority vote. There was only one earth, and the quantity of material things was limited. Of intellectual and moral things, on the other hand, there was no limit, and one could have more without another's having less; hence 'Communism in material production, anarchism in intellectual,' was the formula of modern proletarian thought." (336).
So basically, he’s saying communism is how society should be organized. Industry should be controlled by the public and run by votes. Learning and intellectual areas are different though. You do not need any authority over your own mind and your intellectual development, therefore he thinks for ideas there should be anarchy, no government whatsoever.
The Appeal was a socialist publication… but it’s not mentioned in these chapters except just for a second in 31. The “important realization” could be (from chapter 31):
"Since his life had been caught up into the current of this great stream, things which had before been the whole of life to him came to seem of relatively slight importance; his interests were elsewhere, in the world of ideas. His outward life was commonplace and uninteresting; he was just a hotel-porter, and expected to remain one while he lived; but meantime, in the realm of thought, his life was a perpetual adventure. There was so much to know--so many wonders to be discovered!"(330-331)
It is possible that this means that it is not what you do physically, but what you mentally that counts. He sees socialism as the new path in his life.
“an anarchist was one who believed that the end of human existence was the free development of every personality, unrestricted by laws save those of its own being.” He believes that humans should have to work no more than to support themselves, and that they should be rewarded based on the quality of their work. He does not like the idea that lazy people sometimes make more money than people like Jurgis.
Introduction- and Chapter 1 Everyone reads and answers questions 1-5
2-Harrison
3-Olivia
4-Jill
5-Jonathan
6-Cindy
7-Chris
8-Harrison
9-Olivia
10-Jill
11-Jonathan
12-Cindy
13-Chris
14-Harrison
15-Olivia
16-Jill
17-Jonathan
18-Cindy
19-Chris
20-Harrison
21-Olivia
22-Jill
23-Jonathan
24-Cindy
25-Chris
26-Harrison
27-Olivia
28-Jill
29-Jonathan
30-Cindy
CHAPTER 31- EVERYONE
Questions
1. What was Sinclair’s intention in writing The Jungle? How was the impact different than he anticipated?
"he had intended it less of an exposé of the meat industry than as an argument for socialism," (pg vi of introduction). Sinclair did not write The Jungle to be looked at as a criticism of meat industry, he wanted it to be a reason why people should convert and listen to socialism and what it can provide for the working class. Sinclair describes this different impact as being a result of him “aiming at the public’s heart, and by accident hitting it in the stomach,” (pg vi of introduction).
Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to inform the world of the plight of the working class in Chicago. Sinclair hoped to bring about reform, through Socialism, of the processes that made people’s lives miserable, but instead people paid more attention to what was going into their meat.
2. Why is this called a “protest novel” in the Introduction?
It is called a protest novel because the first two thirds of the book are just about the horrible working and living conditions in Chicago in the early 1900’s.
"The Jungle is a protest novel, an exposure of intolderable working and living conditions in the city of Chicago at the turn of the century," (pg ix). Sinclair uses his ability to tell stories to portray his ideas of socialism and the "intolerable" conditions in Chicago.
3. What impact did the book have when it was released?
Meat inspection act in 1906 along with the Pure Food and Drug Act also in 1906. it showed the united states what was actually happening in the Working class society.
4. What criticisms does the Introduction writer offer of the book? Be specific!
-One problem with the book is that Sinclair “stacks the deck.” It isn’t just one or two things that go back for Jurgis, everything goes bad. Another problem is that the characters are somewhat flat and lack dimension.
-When Jurgis starts to follow socialsism, everything in his life starts to go right as if he is "living in a different universe," (pg xii).
-Sinclair's characters do not "surprise us" and do not do things unexpected of them, they seem to follow a strict outline.
-The characters are never rich in the experience and detail that Sinclair wanted to protray in his pro-socialist writings.
-Sinclair is too visible directing what the characters do, as if he is a puppeteer of Jurgis, who represents Sinclair's thoughts, and these connections are too obvious and oppress the reader.
-the only feeling Sinclair asks of the reader is pity and this is "one of the most dehumanizing of all emotions," (pg xii).
-The Jungle only taps on a narrow range of emotions
5. What was the ultimate importance of the book? What is its message?
The message of the book is that life in big cities at that time was horrible. There was competition among everyone, and a constant sense of fear about employment. Big companies would use people until there was nothing left and then throw them into the streets. Sinclair wanted to bring to the light these hardships and a solution: socialism.
6. ID the following: Mike Scully, Bubbly Creek, Packingtown, Dr. Schliemann, Tommy Hinds, Madame
Haupt, Jack Duane:
Mike Scully: a political boss Jurgis did work for… when the strikes hit he tells Jurgis to become a scab, because he can make a lot of money that way Packingtown: nickname for the area of Chicago’s meatpacking industry
Dr. Schliemann: Swedish socialist Jurgis hears speak in the last chapter.
Jack Duane- cellmate of Jurgis during his jail time.
7. Why did Jurgis and Ona come to America?
“It was Jonas who suggested that they all go to America, where a friend of his had gotten rich. He would work, for his part, and the women would work, and some of the children, doubtless--they would live somehow. Jurgis, too, had heard of America. That was a country where, they said, a man might earn three rubles a day; and Jurgis figured what three rubles a day would mean, with prices as they were where he lived, and decided forthwith that he would go to America and marry, and be a rich man in the bargain. In that country, rich or poor, a man was free, it was said; he did not have to go into the army, he did not have to pay out his money to rascally officials-- he might do as he pleased, and count himself as good as any other man. So America was a place of which lovers and young people dreamed. If one could only manage to get the price of a passage, he could count his troubles at an end (22).
So they came for opportunity (and were a bit naïve about what they were getting into) because they had nothing in Lithuania.
8. In what ways does Sinclair take capitalism to task in the process of Jurgis “buying” a house?
Sinclair takes capitalism to task in the process of Jurgis "buying" a house because it shows how competitive capitalism is and how there are always hidden clauses. For example, when Jurgis is trying to "buy" the house it turns out that they will not be able to own the house until after the payment is finished in 9 years. They are even warned that buying a house will actually hurt them more then if they continue to rent because there are a bunch of hidden fees which they are not told about until they "purchase" the house.
9. How does Jurgis end up in jail? How does Sinclair compare the factory where Jurgis works with the cellwhere he spends time? How long does he stay in jail? Why is he blacklisted?
The first time he ends up in jail isn’t covered in these chapters. Jurgis winds up in jail the 2nd time for beating up Phil Connor in chapter 26. He is only there overnight before getting released on bail.
Why he’s blacklisted might be addressed elsewhere, but in chapter 20 it says:
"Out in the saloons the men could tell him all about the meaning of it; they gazed at him with pitying eyes--poor devil, he was blacklisted! What had he done? they asked--knocked down his boss? Good heavens, then he might have known! Why, he stood as much chance of getting a job in Packingtown as of being chosen mayor of Chicago. Why had he wasted his time hunting? They had him on a secret list in every office, big and little, in the place. They had his name by this time in St. Louis and New York, in Omaha and Boston, in Kansas City and St. Joseph. He was condemned and sentenced, without trial and without appeal; he could never work for the packers again--he could not even clean cattle pens or drive a truck in any place where they controlled. He might try it, if he chose, as hundreds had tried it, and found out for themselves. He would never be told anything about it; he would never get any more satisfaction than he had gotten just now; but he would always find when the time came that he was not needed. It would not do for him to give any other name, either--they had company "spotters" for just that purpose, and he wouldn't keep a job in Packingtown three days. It was worth a fortune to the packers to keep their blacklist effective, as a warning to the men and a means of keeping down union agitation and political discontent." (195-196).
Here it seems like he has no idea why he is blacklisted .
Jurgis ends up in jail because he hit his boss. Jurgis is sentenced to thirty days in jail.
10. How is Jurgis injured on the job? What happens to him? Where does he work after that? Describe the
conditions.
Jurgis hurts his ankle while on the job because he was jumping out of the way of a loose animal running around. Jurgis cannot work and is confined to bed because his ankle is so swollen.
11. What causes Jurgis to begin his life of wandering? What jobs does he have after returning from his
wanderings? List them in order.
Jurgis begins his life of wandering after his son, Antanas, drowned outside their house when Jurgis was not home.
In 20 he does odd jobs and works at the harvester manufacturing plant.
In 26 he’s back at a meatpacking place.
In 31 he’s a hotel porter.
After Jurgis finishes his life of wanderings, he gets a job underground putting up phone wires.
12. Why is Jurgis sometimes referred to as “Jack?” In what ways does he suffer dehumanization? How
does the socialist meeting help him to rediscover himself? First and second question not answered, but the 3rd: The Socialist meeting gives him something to believe in.
13 Why did Schliemann consider himself a “philosopher anarchist?” What was The Appeal? What
important realization did Jurgis have as a result of his contact with socialism?
From chapter 31:
"Schliemann called himself a "philosophic anarchist"; and he explained that an anarchist was one who believed that the end of human existence was the free development of every personality, unrestricted by laws save those of its own being. Since the same kind of match would light every one's fire and the same-shaped loaf of bread would fill every one's stomach, it would be perfectly feasible to submit industry to the control of a majority vote. There was only one earth, and the quantity of material things was limited. Of intellectual and moral things, on the other hand, there was no limit, and one could have more without another's having less; hence 'Communism in material production, anarchism in intellectual,' was the formula of modern proletarian thought." (336).
So basically, he’s saying communism is how society should be organized. Industry should be controlled by the public and run by votes. Learning and intellectual areas are different though. You do not need any authority over your own mind and your intellectual development, therefore he thinks for ideas there should be anarchy, no government whatsoever.
The Appeal was a socialist publication… but it’s not mentioned in these chapters except just for a second in 31.
The “important realization” could be (from chapter 31):
"Since his life had been caught up into the current of this great stream, things which had before been the whole of life to him came to seem of relatively slight importance; his interests were elsewhere, in the world of ideas. His outward life was commonplace and uninteresting; he was just a hotel-porter, and expected to remain one while he lived; but meantime, in the realm of thought, his life was a perpetual adventure. There was so much to know--so many wonders to be discovered!"(330-331)
It is possible that this means that it is not what you do physically, but what you mentally that counts. He sees socialism as the new path in his life.
“an anarchist was one who believed that the end of human existence was the free development of every personality, unrestricted by laws save those of its own being.” He believes that humans should have to work no more than to support themselves, and that they should be rewarded based on the quality of their work. He does not like the idea that lazy people sometimes make more money than people like Jurgis.